Mallette named Head Coach, three more WHL personnel to join Team Canada's Under-18 program

Mallette named Head Coach, three more WHL personnel to join Team Canada’s Under-18 program

By Cami Kepke July 12, 2024

Calgary, Alta.- Four Western Hockey League personnel will be behind the bench for the Canadian National Team’s U18 squad in 2024, Hockey Canada announced Friday.

Kelowna Rockets bench boss Kris Mallette will serve as Head Coach for Team Canada at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup for the first time, with Kamloops Blazers goaltending coach Dan De Palma and Red Deer Rebels Athletic Therapist Terence Robertson also joining the roster.

Former Spokane Chiefs scout Byron Bonora will reprise his role as Head Scout for Team Canada.

Mallette has spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Canadians at the tournament, capturing gold at both events.

He was also the Head Coach of Team Canada Red at the 2021 Capital City Challenge, where the squad won silver.

The Kelowna, B.C. native recently completed his tenth season with the Rockets organization and fifth as Head Coach.

His tenure includes winning a WHL Championship and reaching the Memorial Cup Final as an assistant coach in 2015.

De Palma has spent 15 seasons working with goaltenders for his hometown Kamloops Blazers.

He began his WHL career with the Prince George Cougars, working as a goaltending coach in the Northern Capital from 2006-2009.

De Palma has represented Canada as a goaltending coach at the 2024 World U18 Hockey Championship, winning gold, and at the 2016 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, winning a silver medal.

Robertson will make his Team Canada debut as an athletic therapist after an esteemed career with the Red Deer Rebels.

He surpassed the 1,000-game mark in 2023 and has spent more than 16 years with the team in two stints, taking a brief break from 2013-2017 to spend more time with his young family during the winter months.

Bonora spent seven years as a scout with the Spokane Chiefs before making the jump to Hockey Canada full-time in 2021.

Selection camp will run from July 27-30 in Calgary, Alta.

The Canadians will look to make it a three-peat when the Hlinka Gretzky Cup kicks off in Edmonton, Alta. on August 5, with medal games set for August 10.

Canada opens the preliminary round against Switzerland on August 5 at 7:30 p.m. MST with additional preliminary round games set against Slovakia (August 6) and Sweden (August 7).

About the Western Hockey League

Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.

-30-

Mallette named Head Coach, three more WHL personnel to join Team Canada’s Under-18 program

More News